Tuesday, April 15, 2008

In a landslide election, engineered by political mover and shaker Catriona Molyneux, Serena Plim becomes Australia's first female Prime Minister. Of course, the electorate doesn't know she's a werewolf.The rise to power has not been without cost and Serena has sacrificed much. Her glorious ménage with Jack Wolfe and Kelvin Waters is broken.Apart from keeping a thriving democracy going and battling global warming, she has to contend with the Wolfen Council, whose agenda is far more dangerous than rising sea levels and a climate gone mad.The nefarious Wolfen Council doesn't appreciate her disruption of their plan to subjugate humanity, and they mean business, deadly business. Events are boiling over, and in a bold political move with the fate of humanity at stake, Kelvin Waters acts as an envoy and approaches the arch enemy of the wolfen; the vampires.Will the vampires help Serena in her war with the Wolfen Council? Will the sultry Catriona Molyneux finally ensnare Kelvin’s affections or will he fall for the vampire seductress Commander Ling?

Catriona pushed past the media scrum and entered the hotel’s foyer as if she owned the place. Five minutes later she was in her penthouse apartment. Maia, her personal assistant, who had gone on ahead, met her at the door with a martini.“Thank goodness,” she said, taking a sip and leaning back against the closed door. “I needed that.”“He’s here.”Catriona took a deep breath. “This should be interesting.” She took another sip and handed the glass back to Maia. “See we are not disturbed.”Maia, a slightly built Thai werewolf Catriona had turned on her last trip to Phuket, nodded and glided back to the kitchen.“Kelvin,” Catriona said as she swept into the living room. “How are things with the Council?”The hunk sitting on the couch didn’t rise. Kelvin Waters, the former Deputy Prime Minister, was a very beautiful man. He was athletic and strong, not only in body but in mind as well. She’d earmarked him to be where Serena was now, holding the reins of power, and except for a domestic scandal beyond her control, she would have succeeded. She sighed at the remembered disappointment. Instead Kelvin had fallen and a weird chain of circumstances had thrown Serena into the arms of Jack Wolf. Kelvin, who’d always loved his press secretary, yet never touched her, took his new freedom seriously and had become the third apex of a very hot triangle.Catriona broke up that sultry little arrangement in order to survive and bring the Wolfen Council to heel. Kelvin had not yet forgiven her for doing it. Not that she blamed him too much. Both Serena and Jack were desirable wolfen. She’d been attracted to both, still was, in fact, but one had to have one’s priorities straight and exercise some discipline.Kelvin’s disdain was tangible in the set of his strong jaw and steady gaze. Her heart caught suddenly in her chest. Did his eyes pause for a moment on her cleavage? Could he be warming to her? Was it possible? She sniffed the air discreetly. Yes! The scent of arousal was in the air. A frisson of excitement pulsed through her belly and she was delightfully aware of her hardening nipples.“You’ll need a better bodyguard than that little girl you brought back from Thailand,” he said. His voice was gruff and edged with something she couldn’t quite place. Not desire but something encouraging.“She’ll surprise any assassin, let me tell you.”She bent at the waist to kiss him on the cheek. He hardly flinched, which was better than last time they met, and her heart gave another hopeful flutter. She lowered herself into a lounge chair opposite him and crossed her legs, allowing him an encouraging view of her tanned thighs bared by the slit in the skirt. She leaned forward, exposing her cleavage, and considered him closely. “How did the Council take the election result?”“They’ve finally gotten over their apoplexy and are now planning your early demise.”She was surprised. “They’re openly talking of killing me?”“It’s a done deal.” His neutral expression chilled her deep in her chest. “If I were you, I’d resign from public life, find an island somewhere with friends who will protect me, and lay low for maybe a century.”“I think,” she said slowly, putting a long manicured finger to her glossy lower lip and keeping her gaze fixed on his stony face, “you actually are concerned for me.”“Don’t misread my warning as concern. Your death, though no great loss to the world, would only embolden the Council and put Serena in more danger.”Bloody Serena! She calmed herself. Catriona had been pleased with the way she’d engineered the political deaths of a dozen wolfen candidates on both sides of the political fence, with Kelvin’s assistance, by the strategic leakage of embarrassing material to selected journalists. She’d successfully put an end to the Wolfen Council’s plan to take over the Australian government and had placed a person of her choosing into the political hot seat.“Apart from planning my murder, what else are they doing to deal with the loss of their political power?”“It’s put their plans for this country back three years. Short of turning members of parliament into werewolves during the term, they are back to square one.”“I bet that put a few noses out of joint. How’s the international scene?”“Nothing has changed.”“Then that is where we need to act next.”“I’m heading to Beijing tomorrow to meet with our contact in their nocturnal intelligence agency.”“Oh goody, I’ll come with you.”“I don’t think so.”“I think it best if I was on the move.”“Then move in the opposite direction to me.”She smiled seductively. “Kelvin. You need to accept two realities. The first is Serena is lost to you forever. The second is, I still like you very much and will help you all I can and,” she batted her eyelids, “in whatever way it pleases you.”He scowled at her. “You are not going to China.”Catriona smiled and flashed him a coquettish smile. “Wanna bet?”

***

Here’s what was said about the first two parts of the Lupus Populus saga:

“… a damn great story,” says Nicole Harvey of Paranormal Romance about The Body Politic, out now from Changeling Press

“A rich and erotic shapeshifter story” Christine, ParaNormal Romance about A Political Animal from Changeling Press (4 Angels from FAR)

Enjoy!

cheers from down under

Mikala AshSpaceport: Trash & Treasure, A Holly Barberossa Adventure out now from Changeling Press “Rauni’s Mistress is one of the better SF romances I’ve read so far this year!” (5 Angels from Jean at Fallen Angel Reviews)“Science Fiction meets Queen of the Damned in Mikala Ash’s latest erotic paranormal.” Rachelle, Fallen Angel Reviews about Slave To Lust from Changeling Press“For a great Shape Shifter novella, with a dash of the unusual and a bit of spice, I recommend Eden's Reprise.” (4 Angels from Elizabeth at Fallen Angel Reviews)http://mikalaash.blogspot.com